Dallas Man Recruited to Pass Forged Prescriptions is Sentenced

Dallas Man Recruited to Pass Forged Prescriptions is Sentenced

LUBBOCK, TX—A Dallas man, man who, along with his three co-defendants, pleaded guilty to their roles in a hydrocodone and alprazolam distribution conspiracy, was sentenced today, announced John Parker, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Lee Santrell Boston, 35, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings to six months in federal prison. Boston, who has been in custody since his arrest, along with co-defendants John Conte Smith, a/k/a “Leo,” 35, of Balch Springs, Texas, and Dallas residents, Crystal Nicole Burks, 30, and Keith Deon Noel, 36, each pleaded guilty in November 2014 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute hydrocodone and alprazolam. Smith was sentenced to 46 months, Burks was sentenced to 24 months, and Noel was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison.

According to plea documents filed in the case, from approximately February 2014 to July 2014, in the Abilene, Lubbock, and Dallas Divisions of the Northern District of Texas, Smith, Burks, Noel, and Boston conspired together, and with others, to distribute and possess with intent to distribute hydrocodone, a Schedule III, and alprazolam, a Schedule IV, controlled substance.

Smith provided others in the conspiracy prescriptions on genuine prescription forms from medical facilities with the names of actual physicians at those facilities, but with fictitious patient names. Other co-conspirators then took the prescriptions to pharmacies to have them filled, eventually taking the controlled substances back to Smith who kept some for himself and sold the remainder.

On February 2, 2014, Burks’ boyfriend was arrested for passing forged prescriptions for her. After his arrest, Burks began passing the forged prescriptions, or using others to pass them, for Smith in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. In May 2014, Smith directed Burks to pass forged prescriptions in the Lubbock and Abilene areas, and Burks had her brother-in-law, Noel, drive her on the trip. Before they left Dallas, Burks and Noel went to a location near downtown Dallas and recruited a homeless person, Boston, to go with them. The three left Dallas and drove to Lubbock on May 20, 2014.

The next day, Burks and Noel drove Boston to several pharmacies in Lubbock where he passed forged prescriptions that Burks had given him and paid for the prescriptions with money she had given him. Boston turned over the filled prescriptions and the change to Burks.

Burks, Noel and Boston drove to Abilene the next day, May 22, 2014, where, after passing forged prescriptions, they were arrested by officers with the Abilene Police Department. Inside Burks’ purse were pill bottles containing hydrocodone and Alprazolam, as well as prepared prescription forms that had not yet been passed. Prepared, but unpassed, prescription forms were found in other places in the car. John Conte Smith’s fingerprint was found on one of the unpassed prescription forms.

A search warrant was executed at Smith’s home on July 2, 2014, and law enforcement located filled prescriptions for hydrocodone and alprazolam for persons other than Smith, as well as prepared prescription forms in other people’s names that had not yet been passed. Officers also found a 9mm semiautomatic pistol and ammunition in the nightstand by Smith’s bed.